Urea transporter B downregulates polyamines levels in melanoma B16 cells via p53 activation

Urea transporter B (UT-B, encoded by the SLC14A1 gene) is a membrane channel protein involved in urea transmembrane transport. Compared with normal tissues, UT-B expression is significantly decreased in most tumours, especially melanoma. However, the UT-B role in tumorigenesis and development is still unclear. Herein, we investigated the effects of UT-B overexpression on polyamine metabolism and the urea cycle in murine melanoma B16 cells, to explore the roles of mitochondrial dysfunction and p53 activation in cell growth and polyamines metabolism. UT-B overexpression in B16 cells decreased cell growth, increased apoptosis, and significantly altered metabolic pathways related to the urea cycle, which were characterized by reduced production of urea and polyamines and increased production of nitric oxide. Subsequently, we observed that activation of the p53 pathway may be the main cause of the above phenomena. The p53 inhibitor pifithrin-α partially restored the production of polyamines, but the mitochondrial morphology and function were still impaired. Further treatment of UT-B-overexpressing B16 cells with reactive oxygen species scavenging agent N-acetyl-l-cysteine and coenzyme Q10 restored cell viability and mitochondrial function and increased polyamine production. In conclusion, UT-B overexpression caused mitochondrial dysfunction and increased oxidative stress in B16 cells, and then activated p53 expression, which may be one of the mechanisms leading to the decrease in intracellular polyamines.